Before beginning his solo career, Fulks joined the Bluegrass band Special Consensus. Here he showcased his unique guitar playing, and appeared on the Grammy-nominated album "Hole In My Heart" released in 1989. Fulks' solo debut, "Country Love Songs" was released on Bloodshot Records in 1996 to positive reviews. This album was followed by 1997's South Mouth, which cemented Fulks' retro-alternative image.
As fans had grown used to Bloodshot's rough and sparse sound, many were shocked by the release of Fulks' third album, 1998's "Let's Kill Saturday Night," on Geffen Records. When Geffen disbanded shortly after the release of the record, Fulks found himself without a label, and did the logical thing, starting his own company, Boondoggle Records (distributed by Bloodshot), and releasing an album of previously unreleased material called "The Very Best of Robbie Fulks."
2001 saw the release of both "Couples in Trouble," a dark, brooding, and decidedly non-country album, and, just 3 months later, "13 Hillbilly Giants," a collection of covers of classic country numbers both obscure and well known.
Fulks would not release another album until 2005, when the release of "Georgia Hard" showed a return to his county roots. He also gained attention for a novelty single he wrote called "Fountains of Wayne Hotline," in which he imagined the power pop band Fountains of Wayne as having a hotline which struggling songwriters could call for help with their song structure.
Let's Kill Saturday Night
Robbie Fulks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is a buck I owe
And a forty-hour week
Leaves ten to blow
But every game in this town
Is just a nickel-and-dime
And when the sun goes down
It feels like the last time
So down the main drag we ride with the engines open
If there's a fire inside, it's the one thing going
I've got the Mustang loaded
I've got a wrong to right
I've got a little red bullet
Let's kill Saturday night.
Knock it out of its misery
Nail that coffin tight
High living that's history
Let's kill Saturday night.
Well the little man's lot
Is a prince's life
A prince with a lousy job
A prince with a working wife
Something in the big frame's moved
Oh, it never was so hard
To keep a twenty inch tube
And a fenced-in yard
But give me one night with the moon high and the radio pounding
And, brother, this town's gonna go down kicking and shouting.
I've got the Mustang loaded
I've got a wrong to right
I've got a little red bullet
Let's kill Saturday night.
Knock it out of its misery
Nail that coffin tight
High living that's history
Let's kill Saturday night.
In Robbie Fulks's song "Let's Kill Saturday Night," the singer expresses his frustration with the monotony and mundanity of his life, and the desire to break free from it. He speaks about the difficulties of making ends meet, how every game in town is just a small amount of money, and how he only has a little amount of money to spend on a weekend. The singer sees the night as his opportunity to rebel, and he wants to do so in a big, bold way. He has his Mustang ready to go, and he's ready to let loose, forget his troubles, and "kill" Saturday night.
Taking the lyrics at face value, the singer seems to be talking about a desire to have a wild, carefree night, but the song can be interpreted to have a deeper meaning. Perhaps the singer is expressing his desire to break away from societal norms and expectations, and to live his life on his own terms, regardless of financial or societal pressures. The line "I've got a wrong to right" may suggest that the singer feels something is missing from his life, and this night out is his attempt to find it.
Overall, the song expresses the common desire to break free of the daily grind and let loose, but it also hints at deeper societal pressures and expectations that weigh down the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Well a dollar I make
Is a buck I owe
I'm barely scrapping by, because every dollar I earn goes right back out to pay my debts.
And a forty-hour week
Leaves ten to blow
Even though I work forty hours a week, I still only have a little leftover money to spend.
But every game in this town
Is just a nickel-and-dime
And when the sun goes down
It feels like the last time
The entertainment in my small town is cheap, and when the day ends, it feels like there's nothing to look forward to.
So down the main drag we ride with the engines open
If there's a fire inside, it's the one thing going
We drive through the main street with our engines roaring, because that's the most exciting thing to do around here.
I've got the Mustang loaded
I've got a wrong to right
I've got a little red bullet
Let's kill Saturday night.
I've got my car ready and I'm determined to have a wild night - let's make sure that Saturday doesn't disappoint us!
Knock it out of its misery
Nail that coffin tight
High living that's history
Let's kill Saturday night.
We're going to have such a great time that we'll make all of our boring everyday lives seem like a thing of the past.
Well the little man's lot
Is a prince's life
A prince with a lousy job
A prince with a working wife
Even though I may not have much money, my life is still pretty good because I have a loving partner and a steady job.
Something in the big frame's moved
Oh, it never was so hard
To keep a twenty inch tube
And a fenced-in yard
Something's changed, and it's getting increasingly difficult to keep up with the costs of owning a home and all the expenses that come with it.
But give me one night with the moon high and the radio pounding
And, brother, this town's gonna go down kicking and shouting.
If I can just have one night where I can let loose and be wild, this entire town is going to remember it for a long time.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: ROBERT WILLIAMS FULKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind